


Never Lose A Bet

by Hecate1412



Series: Maribat Records [2]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: AU, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir Is a Little Shit, Adrien and Marinette are best friends, And his brothers may or may not have regrets, Batfamily (DCU) Shenanigans, Batman - Freeform, Damian has to walk the runway, Damian wayne lost a bet, Daminette, Flirting, Gabriel Agreste Is Not Hawk Moth, Gen, MariBat, Maridadrien, Marinette is an Angel, Not Beta Read, Runway - Freeform, anymore, batfam, i love the boys so much, they act like the rich kids the world thinks they are and they have fun with it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-26
Updated: 2019-10-26
Packaged: 2021-01-03 19:04:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21184460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hecate1412/pseuds/Hecate1412
Summary: It was a bet that Damian was certain he wouldn't lose, but Timothy Drake-Wayne really had to go and ruin it for him. Now, as punishment for his loss, Damian has to walk the runway at a show in Paris while his brothers watch (and no doubt film) the whole ordeal from the crowd. They were going to have an absolute field day and yet somehow Damian didn't seem to mind, especially after his small, but very adorable, designer came in with the outfit he would be wearing down the runway.





	Never Lose A Bet

**Author's Note:**

> This is a continuation of the Maridadrien au universe i'm creating. All you need to know is that hawkmoth is not hawkmoth anymore, and if you want to read about that, it's in the first story in this series, "The truth."

Damian Wayne hated his brothers. If an assassin were to targeting any of his three older siblings, Damian felt like he might pull out his own knife and help. Of course, he should also be blaming himself, he did lose the bet after all, but that was uncommon. Damian had made plenty of bets with his brothers and had never lost. This time though? He should have known better than to trust Tim.

Sure, it was a stupid bet, but crime seemed to have taken a break in their usually crime-ridden city, and the bat boys were **bored**. And bored bat boys were dangerous bat boys to almost everyone because when bored, they had to find ways to amuse themselves. And despite it all, the unfortunate target of their most recent bet had been one Timothy-I-run-on-coffee-and-coffee-alone-Drake-Wayne. It had been Jason’s idea. See how long they could keep their addicted brother off of coffee/how long it would take for Tim to physically maim one of them when he realized what was going on.

Damien predicted less than a day. Grayson and Todd weren’t there the last time Bruce had tried to limit Tim’s coffee intake, and that had just been an attempt to **limit** it. No, this stupid bet had Jason removing all sources of coffee from Wayne Tower and the manor, as well as hunting down and raiding all of Drake’s secret caffeine stashes (and there were a lot of them between the two locations he frequented). So yeah, Damien guessed less than a day. Tim had his coffee breaks down to a science. If the data was there to back it up, he’d probably stick a caffeine IV into his arm just to avoid having to continue making trips to the break room and improve efficiency. Jason could try whatever he wanted, but nothing got between Tim and his coffee and Jason was going to relearn that the hard way.

And Damien had been right. Jason had gotten one caffeine withdrawal-induced beating from one Timothy Drake-Wayne before the CEO promptly passed out and slept for 24 hours straight. The only problem was this beating happened two days after the whole thing began, which meant Damian had lost and he had just one more reason to add onto the “reason I don’t like Tim” list.

Their typical payout for bets was tame, all things considering. Bruce forced them to cool it after some rather extreme occurrences happened (they do not talk about the time Tim had to pie Joker in the face for losing a bet, or when Jason had to steal one artifact from Salina Kyle to which he still has scars from when she caught him). So now instead of payouts having to pertain to their alter ego’s as crime-stopping vigilantes, the brothers have taken to exploiting all of their connections, taking full advantage of their status of the richest family in the world, to concoct appropriate payouts as the rich kids they’re supposed to behave as. The result was Damien, in Paris, waiting in a changing room for some young designer to show up and help him prepare for a runway appearance.

Damien didn’t know how Grayson managed to pull this off, but the payout for losing the bet was Damian Wayne’s first appearance in the fashion world, modeling clothes at a show sponsored by Gabriel Agreste for up and coming designers. He was dreading it. First of all, he didn’t like people in his personal space, and that’s all these people were going to be doing to get him ready. Touching him and getting too close. He could handle it of course, but that doesn’t mean he would be comfortable. Second, he had no idea what he was modeling. For all he knew, some designer was about to send him out there barely clothed, and he didn’t want to think of how his brothers would hold that over his head. They were out there in the crowd somewhere, cameras at the ready because they were so certain that this was about to be the funniest thing in existence.

“Princess, you don’t have to be so nervous. This is hardly your first rodeo.” He heard from outside his door. He didn’t recognize the voice past it belonging to a male, and from what he had managed to glean, his designer was definitely not a male.

“I’m not nervous, Minou, Just rushed. They changed my model last minute and I had to alter the measurements. I’m more worried it won’t fit correctly.”

“That’s why you came early, so you could make any minor adjustments. Don’t worry, Bugaboo. Your design is perfect, and it’s going to look perfect no matter how it ends up.” There was a knock on the door before it cracked open. Damian wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but he wasn’t prepared for the petite French-Asian girl who stepped through the doorway. She walked in with a smile on her face that felt like the sun on a warm summer day, and a look of absolute confidence and excitement in her blue-bell eyes, and Damien found himself staring for a while before the teen (because holy crap she couldn’t be any older than he was, I thought this was for up and coming designers) poked him in the shoulder.

“Are you okay?” she looked up at him with concern and Damian had a distinct feeling that his face was tinted pink. And what was up with this fluttery feeling in his chest?

“I’m perfectly fine, thank you,” he reigned in his wayward emotion and recollected his composure trying to ignore the way his heart flipped with her so close (“what is wrong with you! You’ve faced rouges more terrifying than her, why are you being so weird!”).

“Oh, you speak French! That makes this so much easier!” her smile was back, and Damian didn’t understand how one smile could carry so much joy. “I’ve worked with models who only speak English and it hasn’t always been the easiest show. Then again, Adrien’s been helping me learn since it would be more valuable for me to know how to speak the language than to not speak it.”

“I’m Adrien, by the way,” the blonde spoke, having been there the whole time, but that was the first time Damian actually noticed. “Adrien Agreste. My father sent me with Mari to give you some pointers on walking the runway. He said this was your first time and considering the Wayne family helped fund a big portion of this show, it would have been rude to turn away one of his sons who wanted to try his hand in modeling.” He explained. “And since Mari was assigned to be your designer in the show she’s spotlighting, that means I also get to spend time with my favorite person!” He threw his arms around Mari’s shoulders and nuzzled against her neck…much like a cat, actually. The designer in question rolled her eyes and shrugged him off.

“I’m Marinette Dupain-Cheng. People in the Fashion world know me as MDC—” which immediately clicked in Damian’s head because Tim wouldn’t shut up about some French designer he’d been following.

“Oh, this is rich,” His smile grew into something almost sinister. He couldn’t wait to rub this in Tim’s face. And Tim couldn’t do anything about it either. After all, it was Tim’s fault he’d lost the bet in the first place. “My brother is a massive fan of yours. He’s going to die when he learns I’ll be modeling your attire.”

“Ah, yes. Sibling rivalry,” she hummed, a far off look in her eyes, before it quickly snapped back to reality. “I can’t relate since I’m a single child, but I’ve known this dork for years now,” she jabbed her thumb at Adrien, “And I do take great joy in rubbing small victories in his face.”

“I will beat you at Mecha Strike III one of these days.”

“You just keep on dreaming.” They were teasing each other, but it was light. There was a smile on both of their faces, which was telling enough. This was their usual dynamic, and Damian couldn’t stop his thoughts from wondering if they were dating. They seemed comfortable with each other like that, and the way the blonde had casually thrown himself over Marinette’s shoulders before seemed to imply they were used to invading each other’s space. “Right, you’re actually one of five models who will be showcasing my designs. I’ve met with the others before today, they should be fine on their own, but I’ll check up on them before they head out. You, however—” she circled around him, eyes scanning over all of his features, and Damien felt rather bare despite being completely clothed. He didn’t know why, but it felt like Marinette could see straight into his soul.

“You’re a lot more built than I expected, but you have a good face and jawline. You’re Arabic, right? Your skin tone is going to complement the color of the design really well,” she paused in front of him again and stared directly into his eyes. “Also, I don’t know if anyone has told you this, but your eyes are beautiful,” her nose scrunched up as she noticed something new, and it was the single most adorable thing Damien had ever witnessed and he had raised three cats from kittens. “You have frown lines. Not very prominent, but still there. You can’t be much older than me and Adrien, so I wonder what has you so unhappy.”

“Perhaps he’s just an unhappy person.”

“Don’t make assumptions, that’s rude.”

“Just saying,” the blonde shrugged, “We’ve known our fair share of unhappy people.”

“You’re not wrong.” They both grimaced, likely remembering the same person. “Did Gabriel hire her for this show.”  
  


“She’s improving, Marinette. She might be slime, but she changed her look and took classes and despite having an ego bigger than the entire milky way galaxy, she is a budding model, and that’s what this entire event is about. Not just showcasing rising designers but giving newer models a chance to gain experience.”

“Just because she’d improving doesn’t mean I have to like her.”

“Trust me I don’t like her either. She’s not even allowed in the same building as you. My father actually added it to her contract. If she messed with your work, she would be arrested and charged for vandalism.”

“I see your father’s trying to make up for past mistakes,” again, the shared a strained laugh as some past detail was shared between them, and Damien, for once wasn’t entirely sure what to do. Marinette was still very close, and his heart was still doing something strange, and she was…he wasn’t actually sure. There was something about her that just drew him in, and again he had to pull his gaze away when he realized he was staring. Except his gaze landed on Adrien who had been watching him stare at Marinette. The blond gave him an understanding look and a smile before his attention was dragged back to Marinette.

“Right, go change!” she shoved outfit into his hands, shooing him behind a changing mat. “I still need to make final adjustments to the suit since we weren’t able to do any fittings beforehand.”

“And I want to make sure I have time to give you some pointers for the runway since this is your first time. You have a great presence, but there’s more to the runway than being able to command the audience’s gaze.”

“How hard can it be?” Damien questioned as he hung the covered garments up on a hook and began to unwrap them. “It’s just walking.”

“It is so much more than walking, Mr. Wayne.”

“Damian. Please just call me Damian.” He finally got the design free from its protection and all he could do was stare. “Marinette, do your designs today happen to have a theme?”

“Yes! They do! I’m glad you could guess as much from first glance. I was a little worried this design would be too subtle, or the details would be too small.” Which wasn’t possible, because the only people Damian cared about would know exactly what they were looking at as soon as he walked onto the stage. It was formal wear, a coat blacker than any fabric he’d ever encountered with intricate designs embordered in s shimmering gold along the cuff of the sleeves and over the shoulders of the jacket. Woven flawlessly into the pattern of the embroidery was the unmistakable symbol for Batman. Usually, things that had that symbol on it looked gaudy, but this flowed too perfectly into the design, Damien couldn’t imagine it not being there. Under the coat was vest matching the gold threads in shimmer and the slacks followed a similar trend with the golden embroidery snaking down the outside of the right leg.

“Is it Batman?”

“It’s hero themed. My last show was based around the heroes of Paris. This time I chose other popular hero’s and incorporated it into men's formal wear. Yours just so happens to be the one based on batman.” Yup. His brothers were going to have a field day. Because out of all the designers he could have been placed under, he had to be modeling for the one who created a look based off of his father. He was never going to live this down.

He signed and shoved down the feeling of dread, quickly and carefully changing into the clothes he’d been given. “Did you have to hand stitch these designs yourself?” the designs were too precise and natural to have been done by a machine.

“By hand, yes. This suit took the most time out of all of them, even though it likely looks the simplest.”

“It’s stunning.” He stepped out from behind the matt and once again found himself being studied by the petit designer. He glared at Agreste who looked to be enjoying his uncomfortableness from the sidelines.

“It fits better than I expected, all things considering,” she stepped forward, focused on the clothes before pausing. “Um, I’m about to check the sizing, and that requires me to touch you. I just wanted to warn you first so it would be less weird.”

“Thank you for the warning, Angel.” Damien appreciated it, but nothing could prepare him for the feeling of warmth as Marinette’s hands carefully moved around his body, checking how well each piece fit to the model who was wearing them. He was happy she was behind him because, as much as he wished to deny it, his face was probably quite red right now if Agreste’s snickering was anything to go off of.

With a thoughtful hmmm, Marinette slipped the jacket off Damian’s shoulders, “A few minor adjustments, and you should be fine. I’m going to go correct these, in the meantime, Adrien can give you some tips for the runway.” He watched her walk out of the room mumbling something under her breath. Damian was staring at the last place he’d seen her when an arm flung around his shoulder. He flinched but managed not to throw the blond model to the floor. Instead he turned his head to Adrien who had the biggest shit-eating grin he’d ever seen, and that was saying something considering who his family was.

“Buddy, you are absolute, one-hundred percent, totally, _whipped.” _

“I’m what?” The grin turned to something of sympathy as Adrien patted his shoulder. 

“Nothing I haven’t seen before, though. Not a day goes by without some poor fellow falling head over heels for my favorite lady.” Damien blanched at the accusation. Him? In love?

“I guess what they say about models not being the brightest is true then. If you think—” That grin was back, and it was feral. Damian had faced much worse, but Adrien had seemed like a bundle of sunshine, the sudden shift in his personality left Damian with a vague sense of whiplash.

“Don’t deny it, pretty boy. Mari might be a little oblivious when she’s in her zone, but she’ll pick up on it eventually. Until then, you have me to deal with. _Nobody _touches my bugaboo without going through me first.”

“So, you’re dating?”

“Far from it. I’m not big on the whole romantic scene. If I do end up there, it’s going to be with someone I trust with my life. And while I trust Mari with the life of not only myself, but all of my unborn eventually to be adopted pets, we have a very…clear picture of the relationship the two of us have.”

“And that relationship is?”

“I watch her back and she watches mine. Partners in crime. Two sides of the same coin. We’re close. Which is to say, if you do anything in the future to hurt her, physically or emotionally, well…Let’s just say I have some nasty claws hidden behind this pretty face.” Damien wasn’t expecting the threat, and he wasn’t worried about it, however, he was hit with another sense of whiplash as Adrien went from protective feral to radiating sunshine in the blink of an eye.

“So, I’m supposed to show you how to walk the runway. There are a few things you need to remember. It’s important to relax, and it’s best to find a spot on the wall in front of you and watch it. Don’t look at people as you go, it’s unprofessional.” Damian watched as Adrien went through the do’s and don’ts of a runway walk, having him practice in the hallway outside. He was doing well until Marinette turned the corner and he almost faceplanted from seeing her and all her angelic glory. That had never happened before. No one, especially a girl, had managed to throw him off so quickly just by appearing in his presence.

Maybe Adrien had a point. Damien let out one long breath as he recomposed himself. His brothers really were about to have a field day.

Everything after this moment passed in a flurry. After deciding the fitting was perfect, Damien was rushed off to makeup, and styling where the other 4 models were, each sporting equally impressive designs for the other heroes within the justice league. Damien didn’t see much of Marinette during this time. He’d watched her rush around in the mirror making sure the make-up and styling was perfect while his own artists worked on him (and repeatedly told him to stop moving his face). He was fascinated, to say the least. Marinette was beautiful and seemed strangely down to earth. She was considerate, from what Damian could tell from their short interactions, and seeing her running around in her element like this, rushed but radiating confidence and excitement, was fun. Her smile seemed to ease the tension in the room as she reminded everyone that this was supposed to be an enjoyable experience for everyone and how she was confident they would be able to show off their work better than anyone else.

The whole time Adrien could be seen off to the side watching the chaos unfold before him. Occasionally he would catch Damian’s eyes in the mirror and that cat-like grin from before would appear on his face, but more times than less, Damian caught him watching Marinette bustle around with a look of absolute adoration in his eyes. He was so proud, and it was written plainly across his face as if with a marker.

“Alright, everyone! It’s showtime!” The stage director called into the room. “The models for MDC need move towards stage right!” There was a rush of last-minute adjustments, of Mari going from model to model to sign off on their final appearance and give them quiet reassurances before they were hurried out the door. She stopped at Damian and gave him the brightest smile he’d ever seen. If she smiled like that in Gotham, he was pretty sure the sun would have to retire for failing at its job.

“You look amazing!” she said, placing her hand on his arm. “The Dark Knight has absolutely nothing on your looks.” He…didn’t know how to react to that, but based on the crisp sound of one blond model's laughter, Damian had to guess his face had suddenly gone bright red. How could it not? He’d just been called more attractive than batman…aka his own father. What was he supposed to do with that? How was he supposed to react to that?

“Um…” Yeah. That was smooth.

“Did Adrien tell you how the runway is set up?”

“It’s in a square. Said I should pose at the two corners before walking back.”

“Perfect. You’re going to do great. And remember to enjoy this. It might be your first time, but my shows have always been to entertain as well as to present. So, go out there and own that stage.”

“I can do that.” He was Robin, the son of batman. He’d faced worse than a room full of prying eyes. Adrien gave him a thumbs-up as he passed and then Damien found himself crowded backstage with a host of other models.

Marinette was the spotlight artist for this show, so her designs would be the last to walk. Several artists had already had their models go, and the crowd backstage was beginning to thin out until an all too familiar theme started ringing out from the speakers. Some upbeat dubstep remix of a very familiar hero theme, that caused an instant snort of laughter from the son of a hero. If his brothers didn’t know what was coming, they certainly did now. He watched the stage manager shoo the models before him on stage at what he assumed were music cues. When it was his turn, the Stage manager gave him an amused smile.

“You ready, batman?” He was teasing, but the smile Damian gave him was far from it.

“I was born ready.”

Dick, Jason, and Tim had been waiting with bated breath for the moment their little brother entered the stage. They’d been waiting for this moment for weeks now. Jason and Tim had money on Damien tripping, but Dick knew better. Damian could be a little shit sometimes, but if there was one thing the kid knew how to do it was command a room; and as the tall, annoyingly handsome, man in the superman themed design started his final strut off stage, the lights dimmed, the music flawlessly shifted into something else and if it was following the pattern of the previous models, it was based on Batman’s own iconic theme.

They thought they were ready, really, they did. Tim had his camera ready (even though they weren’t supposed to be recording), but when the spotlight popped onto the waiting figure at the start of the runway, they all froze. There was Damien, eyes down at first, one hand in his pocket, weight shifted to one side. And when he looked up, Dick swore everyone in the room sucked in a breath. Damian’s stare was piercing, His face was neutral, but his entire presence exuded confidence and danger. We walked like he owned the world and everyone in it. H walked as if everyone had come there to see him, and it didn’t matter what he did because at the end of his run they would have to clap anyway. His suit was exquisite, and his hair and make-up amplified his already stunning looks by ten. Frankly, it was probably a good thing he wasn’t an actual model, because if someone could take over the world on looks alone? Right now, Dick was certain Damian would be the one to pull it off.

When he reached the end of the first walkway, he shifted his weight and gave a disarmingly cunning smile, something that Bruce would have been proud of. It embodied the idea of dark and mysterious while also demonstrating, again, that Damian had complete command over this room, and that smile was there to remind everyone about it. Dick swore he saw a girl up front swoon at the sight. Tim choked on his own breath behind him as he swore Damian spotted them in the crowd before turning sharply and continuing on his way.

His second pose was a slow turn, facing the back, then the front, another devilish smirk, and he was on his way again, the golden details of the suit glimmering in the lights. The silence that followed after he left the stage was as deafening as the applause that followed after. The three brothers could barely react after all was said in done. They all shared a look and frowned wondering what kind of monster they had just unleashed. They’d never seen Damian command a room like that, and he hadn’t even said a word. They always knew the youngest Wayne was dangerous, but they realized that after today, Damian would understand how he could add his looks to his arsenal as well.

“You think I can get a commission of that suite Damian was wearing?” Bruce questions from beside his boys, disrupting their shock as they all dissolved into a fit of laughter.

Damian let out a breath as he stepped off the stage, only to jump at the sudden roar that erupted from the crowd. He blinked back towards the people he couldn’t see, confused by their reaction, but then again, he didn’t care about them. Instead, his eyes roamed until he found the girl he was looking for. She was small, but he had no trouble spotting her, standing next to a screen, staring at it, face completely red. Adrien also looked surprised and was the first one to catch Damian’s eye.

“Hey!” He called, not loud enough for his voice to carry out to the stage, but loud enough for Damian to hear him clearly, “What the actual Fuck, Wayne!”

“Adrien!” Mari gasped, and Damian gaped. That was not the reaction he was expecting.

“No! Mari, what the hell was that? Mr. ‘I’ve never walked on a runway before.’ Literally just stole the show. I’m pretty sure a girl in the front row swooned during his first pose. That’s not normal!”

“Adrian, calm down!”

“This guy is illegally attractive, Mari!” 

“Oh? Do you like what you see, Agreste?” Damian teased, satisfied by how the blond stuttered his own words as his face tinged pink.

“You’re a jerk.” Damian laughed then looked to Marinette who’s face went bright red as soon as their eyes met.

“You were amazing,” her voice was quiet, but her smile was still there and still just as bright, and Damian was reeling at the praise. He smiled in return and glanced at Adrien who simply nodded in agreement.

“Honestly I’m happy you haven’t model before today. You’d have given me a run for my money as a kid.”

“As much as I appreciate the praise, you’re giving me for the work, I honestly don’t remember what I did.” He’d channeled some weird cross of his assassin heritage and robin persona into a character that he hoped would be what he needed on stage and based on the reactions he’s received, he assumed it was a success. Didn’t stop the shocked looks on the other two teens' faces at his revelations.

“Mari, he’s a natural. He’s rich, smart, and a natural model. He’s an illegal being. No one is allowed to be that perfect. Genetically crafted in a lab or something. An alien. I don’t know! He’s not human.”

“First off, I’m human. Second, don’t compare me to an alien. I know aliens, and I have nothing on them.” He was speaking specifically of Kori, but they didn’t need to know that. “Also, Marinette, If I know my father,” and he did, “He is going to commission you for this exact suit.” 

Adrien was first to respond, snorting at the idea of the richest man in the world going to some big gala or party in a batman inspired dress suite. Marinette seemingly paled at the prospect of the richest man in the world commission her for anything. She recovered quickly though.

“I suppose I should give you my number then, so you can give it to him. W-we could keep in contact as well if you’d like?” She suggested which sent Adrien into a whole new fit of laughter. Damian ignored him and smiled down at the petite girl before him, with her bright eyes and a nervous smile. She was beautiful. She was an Angel. And Adrien was right. Damien was absolute, one-hundred percent, totally whipped. He knew he would do anything for her if it meant seeing her continue to smile like that.

“I would love to stay in contact with you, Angel.” He hummed, taking her hand and gently kissing the top of it.

Adrien, who had finally recovered from his laughing fit, threw his arm around Damian again with a smile. “Something tells me this is going to be the start of a very interesting friendship.”

“Yeah? Why don’t we discuss the prospect of friendship as we get ready for the afterparty?” Damian suggested, removing the blond from his shoulders.

“I hope you know how to deal with the press, Damian. Because after that performance, they’re going to be all over you.” He sighed as she led them away from backstage and towards the changing rooms.

“If it means I can spend the rest of the night by your side, I think I can deal with just about anything.”

Yup, Adrien was right. He was whipped for his angel, and Damian prayed his brothers never figured it out. They would never let him live it down. Then again, he wasn’t sure if he would care.


End file.
